Ridiculous.. I’m tired of seeing teaser photos from GM of their alleged EV progress. It’s been 4 long years since Mary Barra said GM would have 23 new EVs by 2023. Still only have the Bolt.
An aircraft carrier doesn't turn on a dime as the saying goes.
It's important to remember it's still 2020, not 2023 and you may have missed a number of pretty significant developments.
So far, the Bolt EUV, Cadillac Lyric and GMC Hummer have all been announced and delivery dates are Summer 2021, 2023, and Fall 2021 respectively. The Cruise Automation Origin self driving vehicle has also been shown and production begins in "early 2022". CA recently granted Cruise the ability to have its AV;s operate without a backup driver, a significant step.
Also, not all 23 new vehicles will be in North America. Plenty will be destined for China where there are significant government incentives for both producing and buying EV's.
GM closed their small car plant (Cruze), threw their lot in with Trump against California emissions requirements, cancelled the Volt after a billion dollar investment, and have the 2nd worse fuel economy of all major auto brands.
People are buying CUV's SUV's and trucks. Small sedans are an ever shrinking market, leading GM and Ford to essentially exit to focus on CUV's SUV's and trucks. I don't like it either as I'm not a fan of CUV's SUV's and trucks but I'm very happy with my Bolt EV as an alternative.
Surprise, surprise the week after Trump lost the election Ms. Barra said they are going to accelerate their EV plans. Accelerate from what? There was no backup plan.
Politics affecting business decisions? Tell me it ain't so!
As far as accelerating their plans, you have already referenced some of them above: New EV models. And there is the R&D that goes along with them. GM is now spending more on EV R&D than on gas/diesel. GM's new Ultium batteries are a pretty significant development as is the battery megafactory they are building in Lordstown.
I’m only on this site because I am/was a loyal GM customer for 40 years. At this moment in time there is not a single GM car I am interested in. Why would I buy a Equinox that gets 27 mpg when there are numerous competing models that get 40 mpg?
I don't care about a gas-powered Equinox, I'm done with buying gas powered cars.
How will GM with their EV remake sell vehicles to people who live in apartments and don’t have access to a charging port? Ridiculous. Mary Barra is so short sighted it’s ridiculous. She should absolutely be fired and replaced with someone who knows the market and has a competitive spirit.
No question apartments are an issue for those with an EV. I don't expect GM to install charge stations along every street at every parking spot. If anything that would be a state or local government project. I do see higher end urban properties that offer parking spaces starting to offer charging as an option just like granite counters, luxury showers, terraces, etc. What's your solution?
I think it's a bit like the early days of the horseless carriage when gas stations where rare. The market adjusted and many more gas stations were built over time. Eventually gas stations become as common as street corners. The build out of EV charging infrastructure is happening. GM has teamed with EVgo, a public electric-vehicle charging network, to add 2,700 electric-vehicle fast-chargers to the network to spur adoption of the vehicles across the U.S. Tesla also has a network and doubtless others will have similar networks. VW's Electrify America network for example operates one of the largest public electric vehicle DC fast charging networks in the United States, with more than 500 charging locations and over 2,200 individual charging units, as of 2020. Again, we are just at the early stages of the EV charging industry.
I suspect some of this will also be addressed by ride-sharing vehicles. Why even hassle with owning a car when you live in an apartment? The cost, maintenance and parking hassles are all negatives. AV's such as the Cruise Origin that pick you up and drop you off could be cost effective and far less hassle. The car will charge itself at stations setup for that purpose. This is already in the works.
So things are moving though slower than some of us would like. Heck, I've been driving an EV for almost 10 years and now own two. Hopefully the above addresses some of your concerns, EddieD.
